If you look at the second picture (shows back of the bass, it looks as if it is one piece of wood, but I can't tell for sure) Could it be that it is really 2 pieces of wood and they are very carefully joined?

The reason I ask is that if I found the thru neck setup to have less desirable sustain than a bolt on job, do you think it would be possible to un-join the neck and fit a bolt on one instead? Or is this just a crazy idea, ad should I just leave it as it is?
haven't bought it yet, but would appreciate any thoguhts before I buy, but it does seem like a very good price for what I see in the picture.
Let me know...

I prefer thru neck designs because the area where the neck meets the body is thinner than a bolt on, and I find it easier to access the higher frets. They do seem to offer better sustain, from my experience.

I would also imagine that it could be converted to a bolt on, though the original neck would most likely be destroyed in the process.

I have a neck through bass. The neck heel feels really great, and top fret access is unsurpassed by any other bass I own. It has much longer sustain than my other basses, but it's not what I'd consider usable sustain. Once the note reaches the point that you think it's going to die, it keeps going. But this creates the illusion that there is going to be another note soon, and that expectation is distracting.

If you look at the second picture (shows back of the bass, it looks as if it is one piece of wood, but I can't tell for sure) Could it be that it is really 2 pieces of wood and they are very carefully joined?

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It says thru neck in the title, so I would assume it probably is.

I like neck thrus and set necks best for comfort, aesthetics, and it somehow feels more high end, like it's made out of better woods and has more craftmanship to it, but maybe that's just me.

Sustain is the most overrated aspect of any instrument, how long are people letting notes ring out? I don't have a bass that wont sustain a fretted note for at least 30 seconds.

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But how long and clear are those notes? How long do they stand out when competing with other instruments or noises in people's ears? I think that's what's at issue when people discuss how well an instrument sustains a note. That's why I mentioned usable sustain in my post, because my neck through has no more usable sustain than any other instrument I own, even though a note will ring longer and sustain is one of the brand's main bullet points in advertising.

There are so many different designs out there its kinda silly to generalize. Yeah some bolt on basses have awkward neck joints. Ever play a conklin? They have a huge neck joint that's but the body wood under the neck is a lot thinner so it feels more like a neck through. For me I've had a couple issues with neck through basses. Particularly the neck bowing near the neck joint where a trust rod adjustment is no help. That said if i was to build a bass myself i would order a neck through neck and attach wings to it. Much easier then trying to get a tight neck pocket in the garage. But i do strongly believe bolt ons are more durable and aren't as effected as bad by temperature and humidity changes if you travel for gigs. As for sustain yeah neck through might add a little. But for me that's a non issue. After all how much sustain do you really need? A decent bolt on bass has more than enough sustain.